The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1887-07-02
Tribute to an Honored Colored Citizen

For at least score of years Grafton Quigey,
man of color, who was buried at Sweet Air few
days SINCE has been a reader of The UNION
Something more than passing notice is due to o
man SO typical of his race, and venture to do
this Quigey was so years of age. He was the
father of 20 children by one wife, who survive
him. and there are so grandchildren. His flu
neral was attended by large concourse of people
at Zion Colored Church, of which he had been a
member for over so years. Rev. james Owings,
his preacher assisted by Rev. Geo. Morrison, Of
fciated. The Beneficiary and Odd Fellows orders
took part
We say of this man that he was good colored
citizen and typical one of his race. There are in
the Southern section some 100000 of that race.
Grafton was in his early manhood slave; so
was his father, Caesar Quigley. His ancestors
for three generations back, were imported slaves.
His father was strict christian man and in 1880,
when Grafton became the help Of the Rev. Geo..
Morrison, Sr., at Sweet Air, and the power of the
family altar, the prospect of his purchased free
dom stimulated him. During his slave term and
afterwards for period of over 40 years, he con-
Quoted the Morrison Sweet Air farm. In the
meantime he improved and somewhat enlarged his
own IL acres of land. For so years Grafton
arose early Sabbath mornings and fed his stock,
then read his Bible and attended church. His
Bible reading was about eight hours each Sabbath.
He always had family prayers. Since his race
had become citizens, he always dressed up in his
Sunday go to- meeting suit to attend election and
never failed to vote. We suppose that no man
ever heard from Grafton Quigley's lips an excep-
tionable word or that he ever lowered the dignity
of his manhood.
The Rev. DIR. Morrison at his funeral, at the
close of high tribute from Rev. james Owings,
colored, said to the concourse of colored peo-
pie, some of you were once in slavery; some
were the slaves of my family; some of
you served in the army of your country; you all
have citizenship and civil rights; all educational
and moral advantages are opened up to you.
Now what modesty, honesty, religion did for Graf
ton it could do for any man. As Southern
white man and minister of the Gospel he wished
to say that he spoke from the standpoint of a
Southern man and once q STAKEHOLDER, who had
commended in carly manhood on the battle field
to preserve the country. He spoke, he believed,
the sentiments of the Southern section, who rec
ognized the South as an integral part of unified
nation. In behalf of the great work which be-
longed to all branches of the Christian church, in
evangelizing the masses of the Southern section,
white and black, the advanced religious sentiment
of Southern men of national procivities of the
border commercial states, adjusted itself to the
practical Church life of the colored people in their
own separate congregations and the white to them
selves in their own social afinitives but, at the
bar of ecclesiastical council and organic, lawful
right to present their claims for help of money,
prayers and wisdom of the church. This was the
doctrine in church. settled % years ago, and the
colored and white both alike of this nation, should
| understand that if there were any race problem
of sectional opinions in Gulf States, that was in
conflict with this, it must adjust itself to it. The
outcome of such man as Grafton Quigley should
inspire all of this race with noble aspirations